# PipesAndCigars.com...



## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

I sent an email to a guy named Beau about this (he was the one that sent the confirmation notice), but here's the deal...

I got into a newbie pipe trade and was given the name of their company by my trading partner. I placed my order on the 17th of June and today I get a return email stating that my order just shipped _today_.

Has anyone else had this problem? Does it usually take this vendor nearly a month from receiving your money before he ships out? While this is partially a frustrated rant, I'm also wondering if this is typical from others who have ordered from him.

I'll update this with his response from my email when (and if) I get one.


----------



## kheffelf (Jul 31, 2006)

If the item was back ordered than this is very common, also you won't know if an item is back ordered unless you email them and ask them what has taken so long. If the item you ordered was in stock they would have shipped right away.


----------



## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

This has gotten to be very common with pipesandcigars, but in their defense I do have to say that their website says to call for availability. I don't think I'll order from them again w/o placing my order over the telephone. Its too bad they've chosen to do things this way, but that's their decision.


----------



## mugwump (Jun 7, 2007)

Sadly it's a very common problem with them which is why I only order their house blends these days and do all my other shopping elsewhere.


----------



## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

kheffelf said:


> If the item was back ordered than this is very common, also you won't know if an item is back ordered unless you email them and ask them what has taken so long. If the item you ordered was in stock they would have shipped right away.


Ahh... thanks for the info, man. I didn't know that about them as this was my first (and likely last) order with them. I wouldn't have minded this delay had they advised me (even if only in the email sent today), but they just didn't say anything at all...they treated it like business as usual. I suppose that's the part that frustrates me the most.


----------



## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

The first thing I thought of was that the item(s) was backordered even though they state..._"In the case of an out of stock item we will make every attempt to notify you by phone and/or email as soon as possible."_

The other thing that can delay an order is if you pay by check. They will wait until it clears the bank.

My practice, for any orders from anywhere, is to call a day or two after the anticipated delivery date just to be safe.


----------



## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

Blaylock said:


> The first thing I thought of was that the item(s) was backordered even though they state..._"In the case of an out of stock item we will make every attempt to notify you by phone and/or email as soon as possible."_
> 
> The other thing that can delay an order is if you pay by check. They will wait until it clears the bank.
> 
> My practice, for any orders from anywhere, is to call a day or two after the anticipated delivery date just to be safe.


Yeah, I received no notification and paid by credit card. I wasn't sure if they were going to email an order confirmation even, so I just assumed it left (because it was being sent to someone other than myself)


----------



## Slow Triathlete (Jun 14, 2007)

This has happened to me before. They were waiting on a scheduled shipment of one of the blends that I ordered. Unfortunately, you pretty much have to call and find out because no one there attempted to get in touch with me. I like smokingpipes set up better in that if they have it then it is on the site. If they sell out then they take it off of the site.

If you ever want to order McConnell's Scottish Cake from pipesandcigars.com then you better call them to check and see if they have it in stock. They have problems with that blend.


----------



## smokinmojo (Jan 24, 2005)

Slow Triathlete said:


> If you ever want to order McConnell's Scottish Cake from pipesandcigars.com then you better call them to check and see if they have it in stock. They have problems with that blend.


Happened last week. Thankfully! Debbie from P&C called and said SC was out and no idea (I'm sure if they knew when, they would not have called) when it would be restocked...I was surprised to get the call.


----------



## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

I don't know if I will order from them again.....on the one hand, the sent me dented tins when I specifically asked that they do not.....but on the other hand, the did send McC #25 and 27 from 2000 and 2001.


----------



## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

jgros001 said:


> I don't know if I will order from them again.....on the one hand, the sent me dented tins when I specifically asked that they do not.....but on the other hand, the did send McC #25 and 27 from 2000 and 2001.


My last order had a badly smashed tin of McConnells Scottish Flake. The seal was broken and the top was so bent out of shape it fell off in shipment. That is real crap for service.


----------



## Silky01 (Jul 16, 2007)

I've bought bulk and tins from them a few times and have had no problem. I can't quite remember if I've bought from smokingpipes before, but I do like their layout a lot better.


----------



## wharfrathoss (Dec 27, 2006)

mostly i use smoking pipes & mars (even though mars is a bit of a pain now w/no credit card orders)-i was just getting ready for an order, so i appreciate knowing about the shipping problems since i was looking at P&C-think i'll hit up SP this time


----------



## Slow Triathlete (Jun 14, 2007)

smokinmojo said:


> Happened last week. Thankfully! Debbie from P&C called and said SC was out and no idea (I'm sure if they knew when, they would not have called) when it would be restocked...I was surprised to get the call.


Debbie is pretty much the only person that I will deal with there. She's great. I got a Peterson with a P-Lip when it shouldn't have been. She set it straight really fast.

As far as the Scottish Cake goes, from what I've been able to gather from her and other stores is that the American distributer (XYZ) has a hard time getting it due to the demand.


----------



## Mennald (Apr 10, 2008)

I ordered 24 tins recently. SIX of the 24 cans were heavily dented. It looked as if they just piled the cans in the box and sent it. I did send them an email describing my displeasure. Of course, no reply, apology, or offer to take them back was sent to me.

I am pretty sure they will not get any more cash from me.


----------



## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

I got a reply from them claiming they didn't get the order until the 30th, so I emailed them back and advised that simply wasn't the case and that the order was placed the 17th. Here is the reply I got:



> Dan,
> 
> Sorry about that I see the 17th order now. There were 2 orders. The reason it was held up was for the St James Flake. Sam Gawith is only imported into the country twice a year now and we normally have loads of stock just for that reason. In this case I cannot explain why you were not notified of the delay (at the very least) and I am sorry for that and will handle it on my end.
> 
> ...


----------



## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

I'm sure some of you received a pm today from Bob Gates, a manager at pipesandcigar.com. He is awaiting permission to post on this forum, but he has extended his apologies for past situations and wants to personally take care of any future problems. 

He should be posting here in the next few days, so I won't get into the details of his pm, but it seems like he is genuinely apologetic and more than willing to work with us in the future. His "olive branch" (as he put it) has been extended and we'll hope for improvements down the road.


----------



## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

I have an order with them now. We'll see how it goes. p


----------



## GreatBonsai (Jun 30, 2008)

DSturg369 said:


> I have an order with them now. We'll see how it goes. p


Same here. For a couple Cob pipes and a tin of 965. I got the tracking number yesterday, a day after ordering. So far, P&C is on my good side.


----------



## Tricker-cl (Jun 22, 2007)

I love pipesandcigars. They are a great bunch of guys, lets see what they do. I'm sure they will make it right. They have always gone the extra mile for me

Tim


----------



## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

I'd like to see P&C back on everyone's good side :tu


----------



## bige610 (Jul 1, 2008)

I always call and ask. I had to wait for one order. but another one shipped in one day. They have some awesome blends but i dont know if i would order a pipe from them.


----------



## GreatBonsai (Jun 30, 2008)

bige610 said:


> I always call and ask. I had to wait for one order. but another one shipped in one day. They have some awesome blends but i don't know if i would order a pipe from them.


Some pipes do seem almost too cheap to be true, but I figured a Missouri Cob wasn't too much of a gamble...


----------



## bige610 (Jul 1, 2008)

I just like holding pipes in my hand when im looking for a new pipe. If its an estate pipe and a good deal i really enjoy ebay. Ive only baought 1 new pipe sincei started smoking again. I just cant spend 100 buks or so without seeing it and holding it first.


----------



## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

I ordered some a few tins and a new pipe..... Just something that caught my eye. As I said, I'll reserve my judgement until delivery day and see how it goes. I did order via the phone to make sure everything was in stock.


----------



## HoopleHead (Jun 25, 2008)

My last order with Habana (P&C) took a long time and arrived sans one of the items that they charged me for. I've never had an order go this bad with them before, but they did answer my email saying they would refund my money for the Bob's Choc Flake if I didn't want to wait for them to get more.

I've been buying from them for quite a long time and have been generally happy with the service and very happy with their variety and prices. I hope if they are having some kind of managerial problems they'll get them in order quickly. I also like smokingpipes.com but their prices aren't quite as good on most things and they of course don't have the variety of cigars and they don't have Hearth and Home blends, several of which are important to me.

I've gotten direct replies from Scotty and Russ in the past but the last couple of replies have been from new people. I don't know what's going on. I don't get the feeling they really care anymore and I certainly used to... I've recommended P&C to many many people! Hope they don't make me sorry I did!

I don't like making telephone orders because I like things in writing, but maybe in the future I'll follow up my online order with a phone call the next day to check status. I always wonder why vendors don't treat mail orders like they would if you were standing in the store. If I was there, they'd go right to the stock and hand it to me, no reason to wait weeks without a word of information to the customer.


----------



## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

I was told that all the items I inquired about, and ordered, were "in stock" and that my order would be shipped out that same day..... UPS, and that it should arrive to me on Monday or Tuesday. After seeing some of the horror stories on the condition of delivered tins I can only hope that I am not going to be able to add to the sad tales of woe.


----------



## paperairplane (Nov 8, 2007)

I have made 3-4 orders, never a problem. I typically put a note stating that if somehting is back ordered, I will accept a substitute of similair price / style.

I am still pro P&C


----------



## GreatBonsai (Jun 30, 2008)

Figured I'd put this here rather than creating a whole new topic...

Has anyone tried the "One for the Road" sampler from P&C? Was thinking of ordering it for my friend and I... He likes Whiskey (Jameson's Irish), and I'm a fan of Rum & Scotch (not mixed), so I figured why not try Tobacco's of the same name? Do they even have an inkling of their alcoholic namesakes?


----------



## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

I posted a discount offer from Pipesandcigars.com if anyone is interested...

Pipesandcigars.com


----------



## DebbieS-cl (Jul 12, 2008)

GreatBonsai said:


> Figured I'd put this here rather than creating a whole new topic...
> 
> Has anyone tried the "One for the Road" sampler from P&C? Was thinking of ordering it for my friend and I... He likes Whiskey (Jameson's Irish), and I'm a fan of Rum & Scotch (not mixed), so I figured why not try Tobacco's of the same name? Do they even have an inkling of their alcoholic namesakes?


FYI - all the blends offered in this sampler are Altadis blends. The Whiskey is rather mild with a very pleasant aroma, so goes for the irish creme. The rum and maple has a interesting aroma blend, and I've been considering changing to another, but need to find something interesting - maybe more rummy less mapley. The Sambuca has a lovely anise note and hold onto your hats when opening the bag of Bourbon. I often assemble these samplers and feel a little woozy from this blend, its a potent one for sure!

Many of these samplers were created as I passed time riding on a train from Albany to Charleston SC, long trip so there was a lot of time to pass. Everyone thought I was insane when I came home and ordered the bananas and creme tobacco, but it's apparently a nice mild smoke! Just wait until I get me some RootBeer tob!


----------



## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

DebbieS said:


> Many of these samplers were created as I passed time riding on a train from Albany to Charleston SC, long trip so there was a lot of time to pass.


Hello, Debbie! I see you are a Customer Service Manager but for what company? I thought perhaps Cup 'O Joes...but now I'm not so sure.

Anyway, welcome to Club Stogie and we're looking forward to hearing more from you!


----------



## GreatBonsai (Jun 30, 2008)

Thanks Debbie! It's good to get input from someone who works with the stuff. Welcome to CS!


----------



## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Well, PipesAndCigars.com has a new customer in me! Very happy with the package sent, how it was packed, and the communication.

WTG!! :tu


----------



## Senator (Feb 8, 2008)

I would love to order from PipeAndCigars...but the calculated shipping rates to Canada seem unusually high. I've ordered from other online retailers where the shipping isn't anywhere close to being as much.

I've tried calling the 1-800 # for more info but it's always busy. Also, I've yet to receive a reply to two e-mails sent querying for actual shipping costs.

I really want to order some Butternut Burley...I do hope I hear from them soon.


----------



## robertw1249 (Apr 27, 2008)

hi all im about ready to give up on pipeandcigars it take 2to3 day befor they ship your order out and if there out of some thing on your order they dont try to call or send a e-mail telling its out and i put in a order last night about 5:00pm centl time and i did another order later that night at another tobacco site and the order i i did later in the night from the other tobacco site shiped today but the order from pipeandcigars did not ship yet and i ordered the same amout of tobacco from both sites


----------



## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

robertw1249 said:


> hi all im about ready to give up on pipeandcigars it take 2to3 day befor they ship your order out and if there out of some thing on your order they dont try to call or send a e-mail telling its out and i put in a order last night about 5:00pm centl time and i did another order later that night at another tobacco site and the order i i did later in the night from the other tobacco site shiped today but the order from pipeandcigars did not ship yet and i ordered the same amout of tobacco from both sites


Bob said he was going to work to "make it better", but actions speak louder than words. Try sending the guy a PM (as he's a member here). Please report back and let us know what happens.

Here's his profile:

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/member.php?u=11669


----------



## robertw1249 (Apr 27, 2008)

hi all ok i got a e-mail today saying my order will be shiped to day i put my order in on the 7/21 at 5:00 pm cent time and i did another order that same night from another site at 11:00pm cent time the order i put in at 11:00 pm shiped the next day but the order i put in at 5:00pm from pipesandcigars did not ship til the 7/23 today and i orderd the same amout of tobacco from both site for me i dont see any change in the way thing are being done at pipesandcigars


----------



## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

robertw1249 said:


> hi all ok *i got a e-mail today saying my order will be shiped to day i put my order in on the 7/21 *at 5:00 pm cent time and i did another order that same night from another site at 11:00pm cent time the order i put in at 11:00 pm shiped the next day but the order i put in at 5:00pm from pipesandcigars did not ship til the 7/23 today and i orderd the same amout of tobacco from both site for me i dont see any change in the way thing are being done at pipesandcigars


The 21st was Monday...today is Wednesday, and they're shipping out the order. I really don't see a problem with a vendor sending out an order within a day or two or three for that matter.

If another vendor sends out packages quicker, that's great. I look more at merchandise, price, customer service (which pipesandcigars seems to be addressing and is trying to resolve), as well as the quality of the order when it arrives.

Just my :2


----------



## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

Blaylock said:


> The 21st was Monday...today is Wednesday, and they're shipping out the order. I really don't see a problem with a vendor sending out an order within a day or two or three for that matter.
> 
> If another vendor sends out packages quicker, that's great. I look more at merchandise, price, customer service (which pipesandcigars seems to be addressing and is trying to resolve), as well as the quality of the order when it arrives.
> 
> Just my :2


Oh... I just realized that robertw1249 was saying his order hasn't shipped yet, but that it's only been 2 days. When it happened to me, it was _20_ days (literally). 2 days is a pretty normal turnaround.

As far as not seeing any change, shipping 2 days out instead of 20 is a huge change in my opinion.


----------



## robertw1249 (Apr 27, 2008)

hi baylock i work for a place that did online orders i work for them and did online orders for 6years if you put a order in the night befor your order went out the next day if the item you oderd was out of stock we sent you a e-mail right away thats the way we did thing and thats the way thing should be done


----------



## robertw1249 (Apr 27, 2008)

dball i have had other order take 3 weeks to get to me they where out of a item that i order never sent me a email telling me that it was out


----------



## ResIpsa (Mar 8, 2006)

I normally stay out of this forum, but since this is my local B&M who I have extensive experience with, I've got something to say. 

1) I've never experienced anything other than outstanding customer service from this shop.

2) If you check them out you will find they offer a wide range of products at very good prices.

3) A two day turnaround on a placed order is very reasonable. If someone experiences something else at some other company based on what that company's order traffic and staffing levels are, well, that has little relevance to the issue at hand.

4) The powers that be at this shop have stated an intention to make things better. My suggestion is to give them a reasonable opportunity to do so, rather than expecting instant gratification


----------



## Tricker-cl (Jun 22, 2007)

ResIpsa said:


> I normally stay out of this forum, but since this is my local B&M who I have extensive experience with, I've got something to say.
> 
> 1) I've never experienced anything other than outstanding customer service from this shop.
> 
> ...


Amen brother, everyone has bumps in the road, but lets not pile on just for the sake of piling on. There are thousands of satisfied customers that shop there (me being one of them).As far as the order placed at 5pm central time, did you send them an email first or try to call? Or did you just post here where they can't answer your question to jump on the piling on wagon?Its much easier to call out someone on the forums where they might not see things to be able to make them right, if there even is something to fix.I'm not saying that there isn't ever a shipping problem(I used to run a shipping center, nothings perfect in the shipping world) just saying lets not make a problem worse than it might or might not be just for the sake of piling on.


----------



## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

Bob Gates, who has been referenced here, sent a pm to several people who responded early on in this thread. He is the E-manager at Pipesandcigars. Basically, he said that the company was experiencing "growing pains", he is aware of problems, and is trying his best to solve them.

The important thing is that he would personally like to hear from anyone who has questions or concerns. I have been in contact with him several times since his original pm. With his permission you can contact him personally at [email protected]

IMO, we have all had a chance to voice our opinions on this topic and unfortunately, I see it going downhill from here.


----------



## GreatBonsai (Jun 30, 2008)

Blaylock said:


> IMO, we have all had a chance to voice our opinions on this topic and unfortunately, I see it going downhill from here.


:tpd: Agreed. I don't see this as anything other than an 'airing your grievances thread' which is never constructive. Or, it just turns into 'P&C is good' vs. 'P&C is bad' thread, which is also not great for anyone. I have personally had great service with P&C. If I happen to order some tobacs from them, and it take a little while to ship (within reason), I assume it's because they're waiting on their next shipment. I feel like some poeple assume that just because they process orders, they always have stock of everything they order, which is just not the case. As said eariler, this is a B&M, meaning a storefront. They don't _have_ to have an online store, but they do. Apparantly they're going through some business changes right now, so let's all cut 'em a little slack, alright?

/rant

Ok then... got a little long winded, sorry guys.


----------



## rlaliberty (Jul 6, 2008)

just recieved an order from these. couldnt be happier. not only did everything come in pristine condition, but they shipped it fast AND included two things of bristle cleaners and a tamper for FREE. :tu

oh, AND they also sent a small altadis sampler blend entitled 'model'


----------



## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

rlaliberty said:


> just recieved an order from these. couldnt be happier. not only did everything come in pristine condition, but they shipped it fast AND included two things of bristle cleaners and a tamper for FREE. :tu
> 
> oh, AND they also sent a small altadis sampler blend entitled 'model'


Great to hear.

In case anyone didn't see it in the Retailer Forum...Bob mentioned that there's a free sample offer going on now for some of those Altadis blends.


----------



## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

Blaylock said:


> IMO, we have all had a chance to voice our opinions on this topic and unfortunately, I see it going downhill from here.


I concur.

My initial few posts were made out of dissatisfaction... Not only has Bob been made aware the issue was as severe as it was, he advised that he would work towards making things better. As an added bonus, he's become a member of our community, making him that much more accessible.

I'd say the thread is a victory for us all, Bob included.


----------



## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Nothing to see here people. Move along now.


----------



## ResIpsa (Mar 8, 2006)

DBall said:


> I concur.
> 
> My initial few posts were made out of dissatisfaction... Not only has Bob been made aware the issue was as severe as it was, he advised that he would work towards making things better. As an added bonus, he's become a member of our community, making him that much more accessible.
> 
> I'd say the thread is a victory for us all, Bob included.


 :tpd: Bob asked me to call him on the phone, which I did. Very, Very nice guy, sincere in wanting to resolve any problems that may exist and whom I suspect you'll be seeing more of around here. Since I'm local he invited me to take a tour of the warehouse with him sometime and take pics of the tins and tins and gads of tobacco there.

I'll post pics for you guys when I do, it sounded very cool!


----------



## old4x4 (May 30, 2008)

My first order with them had a very minor bump. A month ago or so, I ordered some tobacco and it hadn't shipped for a week, found out they were waiting for some of my baccy to come in after I emailed them. To their credit, my response was immediate and my order arrived a coouple of days later.
I ended up stopping there a few weeks later when I was in NY visiting some friends and it was the friendliest, most helpful place I've ever been to. I met Russ and was waited on by his daughter. Great place and I *will* be ordering from them again (Scotty's Trout Stream is the best!)

Just my .02 worth.


----------



## HoopleHead (Jun 25, 2008)

Well I have to say that though there's been a glitch or two here and there, P&C is my go-to place for my orders. The shortage I mentioned earlier was refunded, and now I've been notified that I have another package on the way and nothing has been charged to my account yet. Whether they charge me or not, I consider the affair well compensated and I will still order primarily from them. I've had far more problems ordering from Amazon.com but I still go there first for that sort of stuff as well... so I'm still a happy camper. Who could even consider leaving the only source of Russ' blends???


----------



## jkorp (Sep 27, 2007)

I've placed several orders with P&C, and they've all been great. My very first order was something oos, and they notified me. Other orders went directly to lottery winners, and got there fast. This is actually the only place I have placed any pipe related order through and they have done a great job in my book.

When ordering I always choose Priority Post for shipping, don't know if that helps, but it has been flawless for me.


----------



## sspolv (Dec 26, 2005)

While I've never ordered anything off of the website, I have visited the store in person. Great staff they have there and oodles and oodles and oodles of excellent stuff to peruse through. Their humidor is amazing but the piece de resistance is, of course, the pipe tobacco selection. It is, literally, a wall of pipe tobacco and a smiling Russ. It was like walking into the gates of Paradise. I spent about 3 hours there and ended up picking up some of Larry's Blend, which was a hale and hearty tobacco to my liking. Next time I get up there I'll be picking up some Trout Stream, but it's an hour north of me so it doesn't happen very often (usually once a summer or so). Seems I have to get myself in gear to go back up soon!


----------



## Senator (Feb 8, 2008)

Well, I placed my first order with PipesAndCigars.com last Friday and my order just arrived this morning. 16oz of Scotty's Butternut Burley. With a weekend in there and having to go through Canada customs, I think that's pretty quick!!!

Bob was great to deal with and I'd definitely consider purchasing from him again.

I'm in Canada and found the shipping charges to be quite high...about $30. However, Bob did explain that I could have chosen a cheaper shipping service...I think I might try the cheaper one next time.

For my first order, I give two thumbs up to P&C.


----------

